NIXON! YOU WERE SO AWESOME! Except for how much you sucked.

[NYC Liberal]

14. The Democratic Congress gave us those things -- including Ed Muskie --

as well as overwhelming public pressure.

Nixon signed much of the good legislation he did to try to get some good PR for his re-election campaign amid the unpopular Vietnam War.

The EPA and the Clean Air Act Extension both passed in 1970. Clean Water Act was sent to Nixon's desk near the end of 1972, past the time where he had to care about re-election, so he VETOED it.

EPA was mostly a reshuffling and consolidation of existing responsibilities spread among various agencies, and did not increase federal spending on environmental protection. The Clean Air Act was watered down before it was sent to Nixon's desk, and after he signed it he lowered standards even further. He withheld funds for implementing the Clean Water Act and fought the ban DDT in court.

He also fired his Interior Secretary, Wally Hickel, for pushing for more environmental reform and criticizing the Vietnam War.